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Check out these photos from Eagle FC 47 which took place at FLXcast Arena in Miami.
Check out these photos from Eagle FC 47 at FLXcast Arena in Miami, which was headlined by Junior Dos Santos vs. Yorgan De Castro. (Photos courtesy of Eagle FC)
Eagle FC 47 weigh-ins took place Thursday, featuring UFC alums Junior Dos Santos, Yorgan De Castro, Hector Lombard, Thiago Silva, and more.
Check out these photos from the Eagle FC 47 official weigh-ins at the FLXcast Arena. (Photos courtesy of Ryan Loco, Eagle FC).
Bellator 278 has lost two bouts two days out from the event.
HONOLULU – It’s fight week for Bellator in Hawaii, but two bouts have been removed from Friday’s event, including the return of “Goyito” [autotag]Erik Perez[/autotag].
Bellator 278 takes place at Neal S. Blaisdell Center with the main card airing on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie. The event is the first half of a two-night doubleheader for the promotion at the same arena.
Perez (20-8 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) withdrew from his scheduled bantamweight bout against [autotag]Cee Jay Hamilton[/autotag] (15-9 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) for undisclosed reasons, multiple people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie.
Hamilton will be paid his show money, despite not weighing in or fighting.
Additionally, the previously-scheduled bout between former RIZIN lightweight champion [autotag]Tofiq Musayev[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag] (15-11 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) is off for undisclosed reasons. Zane withdrew, a promotion official confirmed to MMA Junkie after an initial report by MMA Fighting.
With the cancellations, the Bellator 278 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET)
PRELMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 9 p.m. ET)
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Check out all the facts and figures about Bellator 278, which takes place Friday with a Juliana Velasquez vs. Liz Carmouche title fight.
Bellator kicks off its weekend doubleheader on Friday with Bellator 278, which takes place at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu and airs on Showtime following prelims streamed on MMA Junkie.
The first of three championship fights for the promotion on the weekend headlines the event. Women’s flyweight titleholder [autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) returns to action when she puts her belt up for grabs for the first time against former UFC title challenger [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] (16-7 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), who looks to claim gold at 38 years old.
For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about Bellator 278.
On the day of the show, Bellator 250 has lost two fights, including one from the main card.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – On the day of the show, Bellator 250 has lost two fights, including one from the main card.
[autotag]Veta Arteaga[/autotag] (5-4 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) is out of her women’s flyweight fight to open the main card against [autotag]Desiree Yanez[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). And [autotag]Nick Newell[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) is out of his lightweight fight against [autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag] (14-9 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) on the preliminary card. Both fights have been scratched from the lineup.
A Bellator official on Thursday confirmed the fights’ removal to MMA Junkie, saying Arteaga and Newell “couldn’t receive clearance” from the Mohegan Tribe commission overseeing the event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
Yanez first announced the scratching of her fight with Arteaga on Instagram and said Arteaga tested positive for COVID-19.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CG7j0OepaW2/
Both Arteaga and Newell weighed in Wednesday. Arteaga was 0.2 pounds overweight at 126.2.
A middleweight bout between [autotag]Ty Gwerder[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Dalton Rosta[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) has been elevated from the prelims to open the main card, a promotion official told MMA Junkie.
Bellator 250 takes place Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Three fights have been added to the Bellator 250 lineup, including Nick Newell’s return.
The Bellator 250 lineup is now three fights deeper.
Among the additions are a lightweight rebooking between [autotag]Nick Newell[/autotag] and [autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag], a middleweight matchup between [autotag]Taylor Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag], as well as a featherweight fight between [autotag]Cody Law[/autotag] and [autotag]Orlando Ortega[/autotag].
Bellator 250 takes place Thursday, Oct. 29 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network after prelims on CBSsports.com.
A promotion official confirmed the three bookings to MMA Junkie on Tuesday after initial reports from MMA Fighting (Newell-Zane), Fansided (Johnson-Eblen), and MyMMANews (Law-Ortega).
Newell (16-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) and Zane (14-9 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) were originally scheduled to fight at Bellator 241 in March. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the card was canceled hours before the first prelim was scheduled to take place.
Newell, 34, will look to rebound from his first loss in Bellator – a split decision defeat to Manny Muro at Bellator 232 in October. As for Zane, he’ll aim to keep his winning ways alive after earning a unanimous decision victory over Nainoa Dung at Bellator 236 in December.
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Johnson (6-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) was last seen on Sept. 11 at Bellator 245, submitting Ed Ruth with a heel hook submission in 59 seconds. As for Eblen (6-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), the Jorge Masvidal protege is undefeated and has finished four of his six pro victories.
A former wrestling standout at Penn State University, Law (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will make the jump to MMA’s big leagues for his professional debut. Dropping to featherweight, Law will take on Ortega (3-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) who is moving up from bantamweight.
With the additions, the Bellator 250 lineup includes:
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Nick Newell says Zach Zane will pay if he decides to stand and trade with him.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Nick Newell[/autotag] is more than willing to throw down with [autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag].
Newell (16-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) faces Zane (14-9 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) this Friday on the main card of Bellator 241, looking to rebound from his upset loss to Manny Muro last October.
It was a frustrating homecoming for Newell, who struggled to fend off Muro’s takedowns and clinch game in the latter rounds of the split-decision loss, but he insists that he won’t allow that to happen again.
“You look at all my fights, everyone says, ‘Oh, Nick’s a grappler, he’s a black belt,’ but the only way that people beat me is just by holding a stupid-ass body lock and not fighting me,” Newell told MMA Junkie. “So, like, that’s the only way that people are going to beat me, but I trained this fight to stop that. If that’s what he tries to do, it’s not going to work.”
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Newell may have finished the majority of his fights by submission, but he says he is happy to keep things on the feet, where he vows to make Zane pay if he decides to stand and trade.
“My striking, everyone says they’re going to knock me out, and I hit them, and then they start wrestling and I submit them, but it’s the truth,” Newell said. “Watch any of my fights, you’ll see it, and I think he thinks that he has a big advantage on me on the feet, and I know that’s not the case. I’m going to show him. I’ll draw the line in the sand, and if he wants to come out and bang with me, then he’s going to be in trouble.”
Newell chalks his last loss up to too many obligations while running his gym, diverting his attention away from the fight. He gets another opportunity to compete in front of his home crowd at Mohegan Sun Arena, where he’s looking to make a statement.
“I just think about myself and just being the best martial artist that I can,” Newell said. “He’s definitely talented or else he wouldn’t have won in Bellator. You have to be good to win in Bellator and to get this fight, but I just think I’m at the top level. I really know that I am, and what I’m capable of and if I go out and show it, there’s no stopping me.”
Bellator 241’s main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
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Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 241 main card, which features a Patricio Freire vs. Pedro Carvalho title fight.
| Freire vs. Carvalho |
Sanchez vs. Weichel |
Markes vs. Mitrione |
Daley vs. Homasi |
Newell vs. Zane |
Aguiar vs. Tokov |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2020: 36-18 |
 Freire (69%) |
 Sanchez (61%) |
 Mitrione (77%) |
 Daley (92%) |
 Newell (70%) |
 Tokov (84%) |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2020: 41-13 |
Freire |
 Weichel |
Mitrione |
Daley |
Newell |
Tokov |
| Simon Head @simonhead 2020: 40-14  2019 Champion* |
Freire |
Sanchez |
Mitrione |
Daley |
Newell |
Tokov |
| Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2020: 40-14 |
Freire |
Sanchez |
 Markes |
Daley |
Newell |
Tokov |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 2020: 40-14 |
Freire |
Weichel |
Mitrione |
Daley |
Newell |
Tokov |
| John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2020: 40-14 |
Freire |
Weichel |
Mitrione |
Daley |
Newell |
Tokov |
| Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2020: 40-14 |
Freire |
Sanchez |
Markes |
Daley |
Newell |
Tokov |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 2020: 40-14 |
Freire |
Weichel |
Markes |
Daley |
Newell |
Tokov |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 2020: 40-14 2017 Champion |
Freire |
Sanchez |
Markes |
Daley |
Newell |
Tokov |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2020: 39-15 |
Freire |
Sanchez |
Markes |
Daley |
Newell |
Tokov |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2020: 38-16 |
Freire |
Sanchez |
Markes |
Daley |
Newell |
Tokov |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2020: 38-16 2014 Champion |
Freire |
Sanchez |
Mitrione |
Daley |
Newell |
Tokov |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2020: 38-16 2018 Champion |
Freire |
Sanchez |
Mitrione |
Daley |
Newell |
Tokov |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2020: 33-21 |
Freire |
Sanchez |
Markes |
Daley |
Newell |
Tokov |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2020: 25-29 |
Freire |
Sanchez |
Mitrione |
 Homasi |
Newell |
 Aguiar |
Bellator is back in Connecticut this week for the continuation of its ongoing featherweight tournament.
Bellator 241 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, featherweight and lightweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (30-4 MMA, 18-4 BMMA) puts his 145-pound title on the line against challenger [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) in the quarterfinals of the grand prix. “Pitbull” Freire is a big 10-1 favorite from the oddsmakers, and he pitched a shutout from our 14 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers.
The co-main event is another quarterfinal fight in the tournament, and the winner will move on to face the Freire-Carvalho winner in what will be a semifinal bout that doubles as a title fight. [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) is a slight favorite against [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] (40-11 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) in a rematch of a fight Weichel won in 2016. But this time, it’s Sanchez with a 10-4 lead in the picks.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] (19-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) takes on late replacement [autotag]Matt Mitrione[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) in a heavyweight bout. Markes was supposed to fight Josh Barnett in a fight rescheduled from December, but Barnett was pulled from the event. Mitrione is the favorite at around -170, but our pickers have it split right down the middle at 7-7.
[autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] (42-17-2 MMA, 8-4 BMMA) is a 4-1 favorite in his welterweight fight against [autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] (13-8 MMA, 2-2 BMMA), and the picks reflect that. Only one picker is taking Homasi in an upset, giving Daley a whopping 13-1 edge.
[autotag]Nick Newell[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) will try to rebound from his first Bellator loss with another fight in his home state when he takes on [autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag] (14-9 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) at lightweight. Newell is more than a 2-1 favorite, and he’s our second unanimous pick.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Anatoly Tokov[/autotag] (29-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) is a massive 12-1 favorite against [autotag]Fabio Aguiar[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who is making his Bellator debut at middleweight. Only one picker is taking Aguiar in what would be a big upset.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Freire (69 percent), Sanchez (61 percent), Mitrione (77 percent), Daley (92 percent), Newell (70 percent) and Tokov (84 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 241 event in Connecticut, featuring a Patricio Freire vs. Pedro Carvalho title fight.
We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 241 event in Uncasville, Conn.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Wednesday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 241 event staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 241 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Zach Zane makes good in his promotional debut when he defeats Nainoa Dung at Bellator 236.
[autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag] wasn’t about to let another big opportunity slip away.
Zane (14-9 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) failed to make good on his opportunity at Dana White’s Contender Series this past June, but made sure things went differently when he made his Bellator debut in December.
He faced fellow Hawaiian Nainoa Dung at Bellator 236 in Honolulu and used a grapple-heavy approach to score a unanimous decision win.
In Round 1, Zane used his wrestling early to control the fight. The brown belt in jiu-jitsu was able to get the fight back down to the mat in Round 2, putting heavy pressure on Dung with multiple submission attempts. The two engaged in a beautiful scramble, with Dung sweeping Zane, but Zane was able to wound up in top position once again.
Dung came out with a sense of urgency in the third, throwing heat and landing a whipping body kick that had Zane shooting for the single leg. Dung defended well and latched onto a mounted arm-in guillotine choke, that Zane battled out of.
But he found himself trying to fend off a rear-naked choke attempt when Dung continued to aggressively look for the finish. It was too little too late for Dung though. Zane was able to fight out of any danger in the third round, outscoring Dung 29-28, on all three judges’ scorecards.
Zane returns to action at Bellator 241 when he takes on Nick Newell. In the meantime, check out Zane’s fight with Dung in the video above.
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